Love scam on Facebook sees Miri woman fleeced of RM270,800

MIRI (Jan 8): A woman in her early 40s here lost around RM270,800 to a love scam after the fraudsters posed as a Customs officer.

Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the victim lodged a report on Wednesday after realising she had been deceived following repeated payment demands.

“The victim became acquainted with a man claiming to be a UK (United Kingdom) national through Facebook in October last year. They later continued their communication via WhatsApp,” he said in a statement.

“The suspect told her he would travel to Malaysia to meet her in December.”

Mohd Farhan said the victim later received a call from a woman posing as a Customs officer.

The suspect claimed the victim’s online acquaintance had been detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport for carrying cash exceeding the permitted limit.

“She was instructed to make payments to secure his release. Believing the claims, the victim made 37 separate money transfers into several bank accounts,” he said.

The victim only realised she had fallen prey to the scam when the suspects continued demanding further payments with increasingly unreasonable excuses.

“The total losses suffered by the victim are estimated at RM270,800,” Mohd Farhan said, adding the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

He stressed that enforcement agencies would never contact members of the public to request payments or fines by phone or ask for personal bank transfers.

He advised the public to be cautious when befriending individuals through social media, never to disclose personal or financial details, and to verify suspicious calls directly with the relevant authorities.

Victims of online scams who have just made fund transfers should immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre on 997.

“The public should also check suspicious phone numbers or bank accounts through official police channels before making any financial transactions,” added Mohd Farhan.